Drinking Up (Wine) Down Under

Forget the image of the typical Aussie with a big Foster’s in his hand. These days, he’s more likely to be quaffing a glass of wine. According to national Bureau of Statistic figures, beer now makes up just 44% of the alcohol consumed in Australia, down from 76% in the 1960s. Meanwhile, wine consumption is at record highs. But watch, out, wine. Cider consumption is growing at about 15.7% annually, and is now the fastest-growing alcoholic beverage in Australia.Continue reading...

Among whiskey aficionados world over, single-malt Scotch consistently ranks high in cachet. But in the UK itself, drinkers can’t seem to get enough American bourbon, and the American invasion shows no signs of stopping.

Bourbon sales in the UK rose by 25% between 2005 and 2009, and are forecast to increase by another 22% up to 2014, according to International Wine and Spirits Research figures. Meanwhile, Scotch whisky sales have fallen off by 11% in the UK between 2005 and 2009. Criticism in some quarters has focused on Scotch brands’ marketing strategies.

It’s not all bad news for Scotch: Global sales are still three times that of American whiskies and growing.

Looks like some Canadians, too, increasingly prefer their American cousins’ hooch: While overall whiskey sales in British Columbia fell 2% in the year that ended November 2010, American whiskey grew 9%. High-end American whiskey, which sells for more than $30 Canadian per bottle, grew by a whopping 35%.

Craft beers have been rising in popularity worldwide − and now they're even coming to Antarctica. Think it's too cold down there for a cold one? Think again. At Scott Base, the New Zealand crew drinks 30,000 cans of beer a year. Up until now it's all been mass-produced brews.

Now New Zealand's Moa Brewery is looking to slack some of that thirst with a contract to provide three types of Moa Beer to Scott Base, the first craft beers available at its bar, The Tatty Flag. The beers include Moa Noir, a dark brew designed for winter.Continue reading...

New York City's Duane Reade drugstore chain has been undergoing a transformation, catering to local New Yorkers with clever packaging, marketing moxie (witness a Broadway store opening last year) and new products (including more food and other lifestyle items) in a bid to become a one-stop shop. It's also — attention Wal-Mart — getting creative in its outreach to locals, including launching an in-store bar to share a beer with customers.Continue reading...

In this very digital space, intrepid reporters that we are, we have brought you the latest news on the latest alcohol brands.

We've covered Four Loko, which went from silly sorority drink to national health crisis; alcoholic whipped cream, which never was much of a threat to anything except your waistline; new ways to humiliate yourself with vodka; holiday-ready booze-soaked turkeys; and now, we present Adult Chocolate Milk.

That's right — Adult Chocolate Milk, 40-proof and vodka-based with a cartoon-like logo, which launched just the way you might think: A mom had some of her kids’ chocolate milk after they went to bed, and added some vodka, something that’s probably been done by a few moms before her.Continue reading...

What is poor Smirnoff to do for 2011 now that the big craze of 2010, Bros Icing Bros, is dead? How about "Vodka Eyeballing?" No, seriously.

In a story that seems like a satire of Chicken Little news reports on teen trends, Britain's Daily Mail headline reads, "How 'Vodka eyeballing' drinking game is 'bad as pouring bleach in your eye'."

Of course the photo accompanying the breathless headline features a bottle of Smirnoff, label turned prominently toward the camera (above).Continue reading...

Rokk Vodka Teams Up With GLAAD

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has announced a yearlong partnership with Rokk vodka in which the Swedish brand will act as the presenting partner of the 22nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards as well as have a strong presence  at the CineGLAAD panels at the Sundance Film Festival and at GLAAD's 25th anniversary events.

Rokk's first marketing efforts when it launched in the U.S. last year were aimed at the gay community in New York City, while it recently got into branded entertainment with its Lonely Island spoof ad (above) featuring SNL's Andy Samberg, so it seems it should be a partnership that everyone can be glad about.Continue reading...

While we're on the theme of brands tapping into new year's weight-loss resolutions, what's a healthier diet without a little exercise?

Even the doyenne of celebrity fitness brands — Jane Fonda — is back in a leotard, pitching boomers and zoomers to get serious about their glutes and pecs. Now Captain Morgan spiced rum offers a workout video that targets the funny bone. 

The "Captain Morgan Workout" also riffs on the rum brand's mascot, whose classic pose on its bottle label has filtered into popular culture. The mock workout involves placing the right hand on the hip, raising the left leg, placing the left hand on the left knee, holding, lowering, and repeating. The video explains proper technique and offers result testimonials: "It's like having your mind blown with fitness!"

As the captain explains, his foray into the fitness arena is a natural brand (and leg) extension: "There are three things a pirate is famous for: Looting, pillaging, and developing high-intensity, low-impact resistance training programs."Continue reading...